Belle
by One Good Cookie
Summary: Bellatrix was pretty, Narcissa was pretty and Andromeda never was anything.


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It has always been the silence that pressed in on her. That awkward pause where her brain freezes for a whole second and any words she might have had to say refuse to come.

Or when she didn't have anything left to say.

The quietness slips into her conversations almost unwittingly, and every time it does, her sisters' eyes light up in triumph and it s a silent victory. She opens her mouth to scream at them, to wipe the smug smirks off their faces and yet for some reason those words that she needs, so desperately needs, refuse to come.

She is defeated; defeated but never broken.

_It'll never shine,  
A broken star,  
And all those dreams,  
They fall. _

They called it the classic good look of the Black's, the unwritten rule that every Black must have thick, long hair and dark flashing eyes and must carry themselves with the casual elegance that only they can possess.

Bella has thick black hair and beautiful ebony eyes that always seemed to be laughing at you, ever so taunting. And she walks with that careless grace which was always expected of the Blacks.

Narcissa has the long, blonde hair and frosty blue eyes and that strange icy demeanor which comes with being a Black. It was an awkward decision she made, but she had a respectable pureblood marriage with a man she didn't love and nothing could be more Black than that.

Andromeda has the plain brown hair and the even plainer gray eyes and the kind of face that nobody would ever remember and just as well she thinks, she never wants to be remembered.

Bella was beautiful, Narcissa was beautiful and Andromeda never was anything.

_Its no star if it doesn't shine,  
It just drowns…  
Forever._

There was always that group of Death Eaters surrounding Bella, lured by her whispered words that seemed to hang in the air like so many broken promises. And Narcissa, always the social butterfly making sure she was in the 'right' company.

And Andromeda, what did she have? One love-struck boy following in her wake.

"It was only Ted," she slowly tells herself. "and perhaps, that was the way I would have wanted it to be."

She looks up as Bella walks to her, still the epitome of flawless grace. It's her long strides and dangerous dagger-like heels and somehow that whole air of always being in a hurry that intimidates Andromeda and makes her want to run to a corner and hide, but she sticks up her chin and her eyes show only _defiance_.

'What do you want?' Andromeda asks shortly, hoping that there won't be an answer.

Bella sighs heavily and looks over at Narcissa, who is trying to act as if she isn't listening. '"Meda, our family is an ancient one, and it does not do well to defy tradition.'

Narcissa speaks up from her quiet corner. "We know about you and the Mudblood, 'Meda."

Andromeda fixes her gaze on Bella and has the pleasure of seeing her flinch. 'Why shouldn't you know? I haven't exactly kept it a secret, have I?'

Narcissa has now abandoned all pretense of not being involved. She opens her mouth uncertainly but Bella raises her hand and stops her from saying anything. 'Enough has been said, Cissy. Now, Andromeda here has a choice to make.'

' I'll leave then, not that it matters to you.'

_This black star cannot shine,  
Perhaps it is too late,  
It's crashing._

She storms into her room (very carefully slamming the door shut) and for some inexplicable reason, by some strange wish of her heart, she stuffs her head into a pillow and starts crying, not caring that this is the most uncharacteristic thing she has ever done. Her wand flicks mindlessly and slowly the objects in her room start gathering themselves up with the same half-heartedness and hesitancy that she herself is showing in leaving the house and all the time they seem to be whispering to her that she has done the wrong thing.

Suddenly there is a soft knock on the door and when Andromeda does not get up to answer it, Narcissa lets herself in.

'Hey…' she says, and when Andromeda doesn't answer she continues on.

'Where will you go? You have nowhere left to go to.'

Andromeda looks up at her, her colourless gray eyes meeting those icy blue ones. ' Ted- Ted and I are going to get married.'

'Do you want to give up all of this, Andromeda? The privilege of being a Black? It's a troubled decision you make, and Bella is already furious.'

Andromeda's tones drop to a hushed whisper and she doesn't miss the flash of fear in Narcissa's eyes. ' Bella is blinded and I refuse to make the same mistake she has.'

'Bella is right, she is always right, isn't she?'

Andromeda leaves her question unanswered. Instead she slams the lid of her trunk down and charms it to follow her. 'I am leaving.' 

Narcissa asks hesitantly, almost afraid to hear the answer, 'What will I do without you?'

_You'll have to shine on without me,  
Those jewel bright stars that once lit the sky,  
Are crashing down, they crash, its gravity,  
Shine on, it's forever._

'You'll find something,' is all Andromeda can even think of saying as she walks out of her room, leaving a broken woman and an empty house full of memories behind her.

_Perhaps this is the way we should have gone,  
Perhaps we were wrong,  
It's a different world with stars so bright,  
Shine on, my star, shine on._


End file.
